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In the world of advertising, billboards are perhaps the most succinct product. They're one of the few forms of advertising not coupled with an entertainment product. You can't linger on it, like in a magazine. You're not actively looking at or listening to it, like on television or radio. Drivers will likely only glance at a billboard as they zoom past it, which requires the persuasive message to be both eye-catching and concise.

1.

Rough out your concept on paper, including a sketch of the imagery and the text of the advertisement, if any. Keep the text to seven words or fewer -- any more will be too much for a driver to comprehend before passing the sign. Incorporate the logo of the product or business in the imagery. Logo inclusion is effective for both drawing the eye to existing brands and building up recognition for unknown brands. As you design, remember the "rule of thirds," which means the subjects of focus -- models and products -- are placed along mental lines that divide the image into thirds, both in terms of height and width. Thus, a model could be properly centered one third from the left or filling the left third of the frame, while the text does the same on the right side of the frame.

2.

Photograph the image of the billboard using either a film camera or a digital camera capable of shooting RAW image files. RAW files contain all the data captured by the camera's image sensors, and give you the most freedom to alter the size, color, contrast, light levels and other features of the image on your computer. When the finished image is up on a billboard, you will want everything other than the main subject and text to be as uncluttered as possible so that it can be recognized quickly and from farther away. So unless the design you've drawn calls for the subject to be in a specific setting, it will be most desirable to shoot your subject in front of an evenly lit single-color background.

3.

Import the photograph to your computer and open it in your photo editing program -- programs that can be used for billboard graphic design include Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Paintshop Pro. Crop the photo so that the subject is placed in accordance with the rule of thirds and to the intended dimensions of your billboard. Add a text box -- typically represented as a "T" or an "A" on the program toolbar -- with your ad copy. The font size of the text should be large enough that the billboard can be read from far away; zoom out from the image file to get a simulated sense of the far-away visibility of the advertisement.

Things Needed

Computer

Graphic design software

Hi-resolution digital camera

Scanner

Tips

Set up a relationship with a professional printer before you begin your project, and be sure to ask what file type and resolution he requires to blow up your file to billboard size.

Also be sure you are aware of the dimensions of the physical billboard on which your advertisement will appear.

References (4)

About the Author

Daniel Nash entered journalism in 2007. His work appears in the "Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald" and the "Enumclaw Courier-Herald." During college, he co-produced a magazine with journalism students from Moscow State University in Russia. Nash graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communication from the University of Washington, Tacoma.

Photo Credits

Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

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Nash, Daniel. "How to Make a Billboard Advertisement." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/make-billboard-advertisement-24174.html. Accessed 14 August 2018.

Nash, Daniel. (n.d.). How to Make a Billboard Advertisement. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/make-billboard-advertisement-24174.html

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